With This Ring
by Sceaduw
Summary: Link has the ring. Tyki has the ring box. Allen has nothing but Sheril and Rouvelier on his back. Will there ever be a happily ever after for... everyone?   A sequel to 'Father of the Child' and 'You May  Not!  Kiss The Bride'.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Dgrayman characters, they belong to Katsura Hoshino. This is done solely for the sake of fan-girlism.

Forewords: For all you crazy people out there who wanted more XD Here's a sequel to 'Father of the Child' which was also a sequel to 'You May (Not!) Kiss The Bride'. Thank you for reading and I hope this will be the final sequel to the series~ ^^;  
>As always, feedbacks and comments are welcomed and appreciated. :3<p>

**With This Ring**

by Sceaduw

_{Part I}_

Perseverance was a crucial factor to success. Together with a bit of creativity and careful planning, even when facing mission impossible, a person could still claim final victory. Sheril Kamelot was that person. The man was proud to admit his success. Of course he would, he was, afterall, a cunning minister of a great empire and also a senior in the godly Noah Family. He wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes as he escorted the princely bridegroom up the aisle.

His brother, Tyki Mikk, was finally going to leave the bachelor status.

So many daughters of kings and dukes would cry over him getting married. Sheril had been waiting for this moment. He was so proud of Tyki. For too long he had prayed to the Earl, he almost gave up. Today's triumph, this magical moment, was earned by his persistent devotion to his little brother's welfare. He knew his brother would come to his senses. Sheril was equally proud of himself. Maybe with good fortune, soon, he would have a niece as lovely as Road.

He looked over to his precious daughter who was sitting at the front row, wearing a purely white gown. He nearly swooned when Road smiled at him, giving him a little wave. She was too gorgeous, too radiant, too perfect! Road was a little goddess! He trembled from the awesome idea of Road growing up and becoming an elegant and beautiful lady. Then he shivered at the awful thought of Road's turn to walk up this little path. He wanted to cry and he did.

"Come on, brother! There's no need to get all emotional!" said Tyki, trying to calm Sheril down. "We'll be visiting you often, so please don't cry!"

"Tyki! I-I-I..."

"There, there, don't spoil my moment, okay? Pull yourself together!"

Tyki patted Sheril on the shoulder with a shaky hand while forcing out a grin. Sheril could tell Tyki was nervous too. Who wouldn't? It was his big day. Sheril smiled and blew his nose with his handkerchief. His brother was so handsome and dashing, and a little grin was all it took to cheer him up instantly.

If, and only if, Road had to be married one day, if she must and was hopelessly in love with that god damned lucky man, her man had better be more magnificent than Tyki Mikk. Sheril was feeling all better now, knowing there would never be anyone more splendid than his brother. Knowing the shrew Lenalee Lee had claimed Allen Walker, he would no longer be a threat to Road. That brat of a Noah, Neah, was never good enough to be Road's companion at the very beginning to start with. Road's too royal for him!

Tyki frowned as Sheril tried hard to suppress his laughter.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, my dear brother."

"Are you sure?"

"As sure as God made us Noahs more superior!"

Sheril had never felt happier in his life. He touched the ring in his pocket. It was sitting safely there. Everything was perfect! His brother was getting married and his daughter was never going to be. They were going to be one big happy family! He felt he was the luckiest man on Earth!

Speaking of being lucky, Sheril turned towards the grand entrance of the cathedral as guests suddenly hushed down, ready to behold the unearthly beauty of the blessed woman. The divine lady who Tyki had chosen to become one with.

"Sheril... there's something I need to tell you-"

The best man stole a glance at the bridegroom. The groom was so nervous that he was actually sweating. Sheril smiled at Tyki's reactions. He knew his brother would come to appreciate and understand his care one day. Now was that day.

"It's alright, Tyki. You're my brother, I will do anything that is best for you! There's no need to thank me. Now's your moment! Brace yourself! She's going to enter any minute now!"

"Sheril, I-"

"I know!"

"But I-"

"I know, Tyki, I know! I'm proud of you too!"

"Sheril, about the bride-"

"Yes, I know, she's your goddess! The love of your life!" Sheril gave Tyki a little wink.

"No Sheril! There's something you must know!" Tyki hissed.

"What is it?" Sheril picked up something in Tyki's voice. He could feel an 'uh-oh' creeping up. Now was not the time to panic, Sheril instructed himself. He hadn't met this girl before, so there were bound to be something 'he must know' about her.

Was Tyki's bride a vulgar peasant? Was she unsightly to behold? W-was she... an exorcist? Well, no big deal! Nothing could freeze Sheril's blood, not after his confrontation with Lenalee Lee.

Surely, he would be disappointed if Tyki's woman was not of noble bloodline, without glamour or with deep fascination with alcoholic drinks (a drunk to be exact). Disappointed he might be, he would not stop Tyki if he was so eager to marry this woman. This time, Sheril knew it was for real. Not the scam Tyki pulled on him before with Lulu Bell and Waizurii. Tyki really loved this woman. His stubborn brother was actually going to give up on his freedom and settle down to be a family man.

Although Sheril hadn't met this woman before, he couldn't imagine she could be anything more macabre than Lenalee Lee. She wasn't even human!

"Sheril, listen, I... I want to say I'm sorry-"

"Oh, Tyki, you're forgiven! I don't mind all the troubles before, now that you've finally got yourself a woman! Hey, what are brothers for, eh?" Sheril gave out a soft chuckle. And he thought something nasty was about to bestow upon him.

"No, that's not what I mean! Well, I'm sorry for those too! But this... this is different!" Tyki raised his voice a bit.

"Tyki?"

"That's not my bride," the groom whispered.

'WHAT!"

Road snapped her attention to her father's tiny shriek. Some other guests too were alerted. Sheril immediately lowered his voice and glared at his brother. Sheril tried not to embarrass himself in front of everyone. He then figured out what Tyki meant. The woman was someone else's bride? Well, there was no need to feel sorry for that. His brother was too kind! There was nothing wrong with marrying a woman he loved, whether that woman was or was not engaged to another man.

"Not to worry, Tyki. You'll always have my full support!" Sheril patted Tyki on the back. He silently vowed to eliminate any man who tried to be Tyki's competitor. Wait, what competitor? That woman must have left her man for Tyki! No man could compete with Tyki. Sheril gave Tyki a reassuring smile. Silly him, and for a split second, he really thought there was something wrong with the bride.

Nothing would go wrong! Tyki had arranged the wedding himself. So the groom would not be performing his vanishing act again. What else could go wrong? If any man dared to show up to steal Tyki's bride, Sheril would eat him alive before he could raise his voice to say 'I' in objection. He thought Tyki worried too much! Seeing a sparkle in Tyki's eyes, Sheril knew he had provided Tyki just the courage the man needed.

"Sheril, my dear brother... thank you."

"Oh, Tyki-" Sheril felt his cheeks burning.

"I was so afraid that you would object to this."

"Don't be silly! You're my beloved brother! I love who you love, as long as you are happy! Your happiness is my happiness too!"

"Brother... I... I don't know what to say," Tyki's eyes reddened. "I love you."

"I love you too, Tyki." Sheril sniffled and resisted an urge to kiss Tyki on the cheeks. He figured it won't be nice if the bride entered the hall and the first thing she saw was her man being kissed by someone other than herself.

"Sheril, I'm sure you will like him too!" Tyki gazed towards the door fondly.

"... Him?"

"Yes, you'll like HIM."

"Who?"

"My man of course! Who else?"

"WHAT!"

"That's not my bride," Tyki beamed. "That's my man. My groom!"

Sheril gaped and his eyes darted over to the doorway. His heart pounded as if a mad Neah was going to crash in wielding the Earl's sword and Sheril was anything but calm.

... a man!

A FREAKING MAN!

He knew it! On such a marvelous day with everything so perfect, something had to shit out from nowhere to annihilate it!

"I was worried you'll be furious, but now I'm so happy, knowing you'll accept us being together!"

Seeing Tyki completely drowned in joy, Sheril felt even more desperate. That was not what he had meant! He said he supported Tyki's decision because he thought Tyki was going to marry a woman. A woman! Not a God-knows-who, guy!

"Tyki, wait-"

"Sheril, we can all be one big happy family!"

Seeing the blissfully adorable smile on his brother's face, Sheril found it beyond impossible to break it out to Tyki. He didn't want to ruin Tyki's genuine happiness. Tyki's first true love.

What love? What love could there be between two men? Surely not as a couple! He had to stop this wedding! This was so wrong! Tyki must be tricked into this and as his big brother, Sheril had to save him! Could he just kill that other groom? No, then Tyki would definitely hate him. What if Tyki decided to commit suicide? Sheril froze in his thoughts.

"Tyki, I-"

Before Sheril could further protest, the door opened, robbing everyone's attention.

"Here he comes," Tyki took a deep breath. "Isn't he cute-"

"NOOOOOOO!"

_And I pronounce you man... and man?_

Waizurii rolled back in laughter just in time as Sheril sprang up in bed, snapping out of his nightmare. The man panted, eyes widened like a mad beast. He clutched onto the bedding, veins forming bluish ridges on his fists.

"Hey, are you alright? You're freaking everyone out," said Waizurii. Hearing no response from his adoptive father, he tried again. This time he spoke directly into his head.

_Don't you find it suspicious that Tyki never get himself a girl? _

"Stop it, Waizurii! Stop... talking!" growled Sheril, face muscles twitching in an excruciating manner.

"Papa..." Road cuddled onto Sheril. She knew this was the quickest way to calm him down. And it did. Sheril hugged onto her for a while before he could pull himself together. Sheril felt the presence in his arms. His beloved daughter Road. This was reality. That was a nightmare. Thank the Earl.

"So what happened? You were moaning and trashing about in bed, so we come to check on you." Road asked. Unlike Waizurii, she didn't get to see what was in Sheril's nightmare. All she knew was Waizurii had seen something interesting. Something fun. Seeing their adoptive father suffering was supposed to be heart-breaking, but not for the children of Noah. They needed entertainment.

"I'm sorry, Road. Didn't mean to scare you," said Sheril as he caressed Road's hair. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

_And should you be worrying if Road marries a girl some day?_

_Are you that desperate to reincarnate, Waizurii?_

_Eh... hehe, no._

_Good, then I've got work for you._

_Eh! But it's three-thirty in the morning! I want to get some sleep!_

_You can either do as you're told or you can go to sleep and never wake up again._

_Eh... fine._

"Off you go, Road. Tomorrow morning you've still got school. Go back to bed now!" said Sheril while Waizurii brooded over his unknown assignment.

Road pouted and whined a bit before disappearing out of the room. No matter, she could always threaten Waizurii later to let her join in the fun.

"Now, how can I be of service? Your highness?" Waizurii mocked while letting out a yawn.

"Waizurii, I need you to get into Tyki's head-"

"Oh, what happened to privacy and courtesy?"

"- and find out if he really likes men!" Sheril ignored Waizurii's effortless and meaningless protest. "Better still, find out if he has a special someone in mind!"

"I thought you've given up on the marriage thing? How come you're still haunting Tyki-"

"I need to stop it before it's too late!" Sheril snapped.

"Stooop what?" asked a slurred voice as someone pushed open the door, taking a peep into the room. It was Tyki Mikk. He yawned and then strolled over to Sheril's bedside. "Goooooood morning," Tyki giggled. "Whassuuuup?"

"Tyki!" Sheril jerked out of bed as if someone pricked him with a needle. His brother had been roaming everywhere since the Earl forbade him from going back to the ark. Thanks to the banshee he brought back who destroyed half of their historical ark. Anyway, the Earl should have fixed it all by now. It had been three months.

"Welcome home!" he tried to glomp Tyki but his brother dodged it like the zillion times before it. Then Sheril noticed a pungent killing the floral perfume in his room. Tyki reeked of alcohol. "You've been drinking?"

Waizurii would love to try drinking too if he could actually afford any. He knew Sheril had kept quite a lot of fine liquor in the house, but those were forbidden to him and Road.

"What's wrong, Tyki? Are you upset?" asked Sheril. He was worried, knowing Tyki only drank when he was unhappy. Judging by Tyki's current state, he must be in grief.

"I'm no child, Sheril!" Tyki laughed as he flopped down onto Sheril's bed. He snuggled up against the bedding. "Wrong? Everything's left! No... Haha-"

Tyki must have drunk quite a lot to get this sloppy. Sheril would never imagine him climbing onto this bed.

"He's totally wasted."

"Waizurii, make yourself useful and find out what happened."

The teen grunted and activated his Demon Eye, ready to prey into his uncle's mind. Tyki turned and shifted his pose, trying to fight off the mind intrusion. He curled up and buried himself in the bed covers while still struggling against the psychic's powers. Sheril was certain that Tyki was desperately trying to hide something.

"What did you see Waizurii?"

"Give me a second here! I'm still trying to break in!"

"GET OUT! GET LOST! I HATE YOU! I HATE ME!"

Sheril was startled when Tyki bellowed. He watched as his brother sprang up, threw a pillow at Waizurii before dashing out of the room. Then he and Waizurii heard a something heavy tumbling down the stairs.

"Oh dear..."

"Tyki!" Sheril shrieked and ran out after his brother.

Waizurii shrugged and gave a huge yawn, stretching his back lazily. There, he did his part, now he shall go back to sleep. He picked up the pillow from the carpet and put it back onto Sheril's bed. Then something caught his eyes. It was a beautiful little velvet box.

"Hello, what's this?"

The teen picked up the box with care and examined it. Not only did it look elegant, it even smelt nice. It was faint but Waizurii could tell it was a down to earth 'woody' scent. It was distinct from the extravagant rose fragrance perfume that Sheril would use.

So this box wasn't Sheril's. It belonged to Tyki?

But the only thing Tyki would smelt of would be sweat and mud. And at this moment, alcohol. The chance of his hobo uncle using perfume was as high as his minister father working as a janitor.

Besides, it looked expensive, not something Tyki could afford as a hobo.

So this box was given to Tyki.

Grinning slyly, he opened the box slightly. It was empty. He flipped it wide open to have a clearer view. On the inside of the lid, there engraved a message: my love, with this, I make you mine.

_SHERIL! SHERIL! COME QUICKLY! YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS! _

"Whatever! Come here and give me a hand!"

Waizurii swirled around and found Sheril carrying an unconscious Tyki back to the room. Normally, Sheril would not allow Tyki to spend the night in his stately home while in his hobo appearance. But today was an exception. Tyki was depressed and Sheril was determined to find out what happened.

The two of them got Tyki nicely tucked in bed. Then Waizurii handed the little box over to Sheril. The man's eyes lit up instantly. A ring box! Sheril's eyes sparkled as he read the message inside. But where's the ring?

"Don't look at me, it's empty when I opened it!"

Sheril took Tyki's hands out from under the covers and found none on his fingers.

"Why would he have an empty ring box with him? Eh, did he carelessly drop the ring? That should explain why he's so upset!"

"No, Waizurii! Maybe Tyki already presented the ring to that special someone!" Sheril grinned. But then why was Tyki so upset? Was he rejected?

"Eh... if he gives it to someone, shouldn't he be giving it together with the box? I think this was GIVEN to him by someone. I still think he lost the ring, so he's sad."

"Who? WHO? Waizurii! Don't just think! Get inside his head and find out who's that special lady!"

"What if... it's a man?" the teen teased half-heartedly. "It's not usual for a woman to give a man a ring as a token of love-"

"WAIZURII!" the older man was not slightly amused. He thought of the nightmare he just had.

"Eh, okay, I'm going in now."

It was relatively easy to hack into Tyki's mind now that he was blackout. It took less than three minutes before Waizurii returned with the information Sheril had desired.

"Well? What did you see?"

"Eh..." Waizurii paused. He then glanced sideways.

"Come on, speak up boy!"

"Well... it's complicated."

"Man or woman?"

"Eh?"

"Was it a man or a woman?"

"What?"

"Who's got the ring?"

"Oh... but that's Tyki's deep down secret, I'm not sure it's ethical to let you know. You see, it's only my privilege to occasionally take a peep with the Demon Eye-"

"My dear boy, would you like to be strangled or ripped apart?"

"It's a man!" Waizurii squeeked, seeing Sheril's deadly threads materialized from thin air.

This had got to be a continuation of his nightmare. Or so Sheril convinced himself. He needed to wake up and get out of this.

"H-hey? Don't pass out yet! I haven't..."

Sheril felt his brain just got fried and Waizurii's voice faded as if he had gone deaf.

When he regained consciousness, it was already morning. He heard birds chirping outside and saw gentle sunlight soaking through the curtains. It was a wonderful day. He had had a really horrifying nightmare and he was still sweating from the terror. But that was all over now. It wasn't real. Today would be another fabulous day! He sat up in bed and while still yawning, he saw something. There was a little jewelry gift box, sitting gracefully on his bedside table. Sheril thought that box looked familiar. Too familiar. His eyes widened and then he flinched. He felt a presence close to him.

He glanced over to the other side of his bed where his wife should be sleeping. There was a fairly large lump. The lump smelt and was... breathing. It couldn't be Tricia. She was much smaller in size. Besides, she was still being hospitalized because of a serious flu...

He braced himself and pulled the covers off the sleeping figure. That was no nightmare. It was really happening.

Sheril screamed.

-to be continued-


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Dgrayman characters, they belong to Katsura Hoshino. This is done solely for the sake of fan-girlism.

As always, feedbacks and comments are welcomed and appreciated. :3

**With This Ring**

by Sceaduw

_{Part II}_

The Noah gave him a ring. What was he supposed to do?

Let alone being enemies, they were both men. He slowly felt the ring in his pocket. The tiny thing suddenly seemed so heavy. Was it his fault? No, of course not! Not entirely anyway. Alright, calm down, this was nothing he couldn't handle.

Okay, he couldn't. But he was sure his supervisor could give him some useful advice.

Howard Link released his touch on the ring. He inhaled sharply and then exhaled slowly. Then he knocked on Rouvelier's door.

"Good morning Sir-"

"Ah, morning, Howard! I trust you've got the long overdue report ready?" said Rouvelier when Link closed the door behind him.

"Yes. It's very unfortunate that Allen Walker refused to cooperate and it took me extra time on his surveillance," said Link, placing a written report on Rouvelier's desk. Rouvelier grimaced at the two-inch thick report.

"That's not unexpected. That boy has always been and will still be a threat to us. But I believe he should be fairly satisfied now that he's married the girl he loves?"

"Yes, Sir. He certainly is," said Link. Allen Walker was happy to be with Lenalee Lee and that was why he resisted even more to his surveillance. The exorcist wanted more privacy with his wife. He tried not to recall the time when he witnessed the two... being intimate. "However Komui Lee is creating mayhems more frequently now."

Link shrugged at the memory of the latest Komlin 3000. It set fire and caused a huge explosion at the Black Order just last week. The Black Order's renovation fees were rocketing sky high. Not to mention the regular medical expenses of the staff which had always been inestimable.

"If they had so much time to fool around, I suggest cutting down thirty percent of their funding," Rouvelier replied coldly. "Wait, make that fifty."

"I guess we're really at peace with the Earl and the Noahs now? There haven't been a single Akuma attack being reported around the world for... if I remember correctly, three months?" Link smiled. His hand unknowingly dug into his pocket and touched the ring again.

"Don't be fooled, boy!" Rouvelier snapped. "This may just be the brief tranquility before the apocalypse! Never let your guard down!"

On hearing his supervisor's warning, Link cringed. He didn't want to believe the war was still waging between the Noahs and the Vatican. He wanted to believe peace was finally achieved. Unfortunately, the union between Allen Walker and Lenalee Lee did not seem to end the blood feuds, although technically speaking Allen Walker was also apart of the Noah Family. He didn't know why there had been no attacks lately, but he really wished this would be a sign of some new breakthrough.

Could the ring in his pocket be the key to that breakthrough?

"Is there anything else, Howard?" asked the Vatican official, noticing the young inspector's little odd behaviour. There seemed to be something in his pocket.

"Oh? Oh! Erm... no, nothing."

Link quickly pulled his hand out of his coat pocket. Sensing Rouvelier's hostility towards the Noahs, he really didn't want to infuriate him further. He had to rephrase his query to avoid mentioning the term 'Noah'.

"Sir, may I ask you a question?"

"Certainly, Howard!" Rouvelier sat back in his chair, raising an eyebrow at Link's words. Now that was unexpected. He wondered what his abled subordinate was troubling about. He looked on with interest as he saw a faint blush on the youth's cheeks.

"Can love be confirmed or proven?"

Young men at Link's age would worry about lots of things, but not Howard Link. He was a Vatican inspector and a former member of the Crow Unit. A brilliant subordinate. He was dedicated to his work and was serious about what he was committed to achieve. Best of all, he never questioned about his missions and was as obedient as he could be. Rouvelier was only expecting Link to enquire about new cooking recipes. Emotional topics was the last thing he would expect from his boy, especially vague questions like this one.

"You've found someone, Howard?"

"Oh? No! No...," Link blurted. "Just a philosophical question."

"I see," Rouvelier put on a stern face. Inside, he cheered for Link. Well, there was nothing to be shamed of. It was absolutely normal for him to come across someone someday. Link was an orphan and Rouvelier felt he had the obligation to enlighten him. Like what a father should and would have done. "Then here's a philosophical answer: one will know when one is in love if one is truly in love."

"H-huh?"

Rouvelier smirked, seeing Link's facial expression. It was priceless. He could tell Link was in love with someone but he wanted Link to unearth it by himself. He wondered who was the mystery girl. Was she an ordinary citizen or a comrade in the Vatican? Could it be that gentle girl at the grocery store? Or was it the wise librarian at Central Headquarters? They were both lovely women and would make suitable partners for Link.

"Love cannot be reasoned, Howard. You may analyse all the information about 'love' in your head, but you'll need to your heart to actually love."

"Yes, Sir-"

"Howard, since I'll need some time to go through this," Rouvelier flipped through Link's report from hell, "why don't you take the day off? I'll contact you once I've decided on what constraints I can impose on the beasts in the Black Order."

"That'll be great, Sir," replied Link but Rouvelier did not sense a trace of happiness in his voice. The boy still looked so confused.

Link hadn't had a day off since God knows when and Rouvelier felt now was a good time for the youth to venture out. To lighten up, if he could. He really should find himself a girlfriend. It would be great to be invited to a normal human wedding instead of a weird circus show by the Noahs. This good man deserved a good wife. Rouvelier gestured Link to leave him with the paperwork.

"Sir, I still have one more question," asked Link just as he was about to leave.

Rouvelier looked up from the papers and waited. The young inspector hesitated.

"What if one is truly in love but with the wrong person? Does that make love wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I don't get your question, Howard," said Rouvelier, eyes narrowing dangerously. Wrong person? That definitely didn't sound right already. Who was Link attracted to anyway?

"Oh, nevermind, Sir! Sorry for taking up your time."

"It's alright, Howard. Do come to see me if you happen to have more... questions."

Link nodded and bowed politely before he left Rouvelier's office. Thinking on Rouvelier's words, he felt he should be able to confirm his feelings if he could see that man again. And maybe he could return the ring to him if he didn't feel anything special towards him. Link made up his mind what he should do with today's extra free time. He wanted to go back to the place where he met the Noah last night. Maybe... the Noah would be looking for him too. He faintly remembered the way to that tavern. Its name... right, the 'Sunken Ark'.

Come to think of it, what did the Noah see in him anyway? It was rude of him to run out on the Noah, but what could he do then? He didn't know what to do. Tyki Mikk seemed sincere. Link did feel slightly touched.

No wonder the Noah refused to marry Lenalee Lee in the first place. So he preferred men.

After Link had left, Rouvelier skimmed through the first few paragraphs of the report. Then he flipped through several pages. Finally he slammed the horrid thing hard on the desk. He was in no mood to know what Allen Walker had done in the past few months! He stood up and paced around his office.

He wanted to know what his inspector was up to. Who was the girl? He must find out! The term 'wrong person' was chanting in Rouvelier's head like a haunting spell. He grabbed his overcoat from the coat hanger and dashed out of his office.

From a distance, he saw Link reaching into his pocket again.

Rouvelier was certain there was something in that pocket. He ignored the odd looks from the passers-by as he kept a safe distance from the inspector. He could not figure out what it was unless Link took it out from his coat pocket. Rouvelier quickened his pace as the young man disappeared round a corner. He hurried after him, not wanting to lose his target in this large city.

"You're looking for me, Sir?"

Rouvelier was caught right on. He didn't expect Link would pause at the first shop round the corner. From the look on Link's face, he was relieved that his subordinate was not angry but genuinely concerned. Link must have thought he had some urgent work for him. How adorable could Link be? Rouvelier smiled.

"Oh, no, no, Howard. I have some business to tend to here. Don't mind me, enjoy your holiday!"

"Really...? Sir, you have business here?" Link lowered his voice, glancing down the street they were on. This street was the entrance to an area nicknamed 'Dark Heaven' by the locals. Rouvelier realised he had made a mistake. What possible business would he have in a place filled with nothing but brothels, taverns and the lowliest of the lowest humans? Sweat broke out from Rouvelier's forehead.

Wait a minute, what was Link doing here?

"Yes, I have to locate an informer here," Rouvelier lied. "How about you?" He tried to sound as natural as he could, hoping Link would spill out something.

"...," Link looked straight into Rouvelier's eyes. "Nothing, Sir." He felt fortunate that he had learnt something useful from Allen Walker all these times he spent with the exorcist. He learnt how to say something he did not mean but still look honest about it. He didn't want to let Rouvelier know he was going to the Sunken Ark. That was the infamous tavern in the city.

The boy was lying, Rouvelier reckoned. The little pause gave him away. Really, did Link just walk all the way down to this part of the city to do nothing? Rouvelier was more convinced now he was doing the right thing to keep an eye on Link. With Link lying to him, he could visualize a big red exclamation mark flashing urgently. This 'wrong person' was now classified as a threat by Rouvelier. Whoever she was, she was already corrupting Link's mind.

"I see. Well then, I mustn't spoil your holiday! Good day, Howard!"

Rouvelier headed towards another direction, pretending he wasn't going the same way as Link. When he stole a glance behind his shoulder after a few steps, Link was gone.

"Damn it!"

He was too careless. As a comrade to the Crows, of course Link could easily escape like a breeze. Rouvelier had lost him.

Just when the Vatican official felt helpless, he spotted someone else. Allen Walker! What was he doing here, wandering around alone? The teen spotted him too.

"Rouvelier? What are you-"

"That's none of your business, Walker!" Rouvelier snorted. "On the other hand, why are YOU here? You're not traveling around with the ark portal, are you? You should know we have strict regulations regarding your usage of the Fourteenth's power!"

"Mind your own business too! I don't need to report what I do on my holidays! I have my privacy too!" Allen retaliated. "Besides, that's MY portal now. Not Neah's!"

"Oh, really? Exorcists have holidays now?" grumbled Rouvelier, trying to mentally jot down the first thing to cut back on the Black Order was holidays for exorcists. He then eyed the teen suspiciously. "What a coincidence, Link's on leave too." Otherwise, he could have Link watch over this half-Noah.

They wouldn't be meeting up, would they? That's not possible. He only granted Link his holiday a while ago. There was no way he could contact Allen Walker on such short notice. Allen Walker wouldn't be the 'wrong person', would he? No, that would be a joke. And it ain't funny.

"He is? Good for him! He surely needs a break! He should be really exhausted after last night-"

"Last night?"

Allen snapped shut, pulling his lips tightly into a grimace. Him and his big mouth. Rouvelier mustn't find out about last night, otherwise, Link's reputation would be down the drain. He refrained himself from bursting out laughing upon recollecting what happened last night. The inspector was a walking felony! No wonder Tyki Mikk spotted 'her' right away.

Allen thought Link shouldn't blame him either. It was the inspector who got on his nerves first with all the manners and ethics stuff. Most of all, Link was in the way! Allen just wanted some privacy with Lenalee. So he took Lavi's advice, sort of. Well, things weren't that bad... so far. At least, similar to what Lavi had planned, Link found himself an extraordinary gentleman. Or rather, the gentleman found him.

It had been fun, but now, he needed to find Link to retrieve his ring. And the box back from Tyki Mikk too if he could. He must get his present back before Lenalee's birthday, which was only two days away. He won't have enough time to work his arse off to earn enough money to buy another ring. That ring was the one and only! It was a limited edition from Gabrielle & Draco. He felt sorry for not being able to present his wife a proper ring since the wedding. It was better late than never.

The irritation on Rouvelier's face urged Allen to cool off.

"No-nothing," Allen recomposed himself. "Hey, do you happen to know where Link will be going today?" Allen really wanted to see what Link planned to do after last night's romantic affair. He wondered if Link would visit the Sunken Ark again today. With some luck, he might see Tyki there too again. He bet the man would not give up, not when 'lady' Link ran out on him. That must have been a crushing blow to his pride.

"Why should I tell you? He has his own privacy too!"

"Ha! You don't know, do you?"

"I don't prey into other people's privacy Allen Walker!" Rouvelier lied again. He was desperate to find out who was Link's 'wrong person'. Unfortunately, the exorcist was right, he didn't know where Link had gone to. But Allen Walker seemed to know something.

"Well, look who's talking!"

Rouvelier quarreled with him no more. He decided to follow the exorcist instead. His instinct told him Allen Walker would find Link today. Something must have happened last night. Something awful that Link would rather lie to him than to be honest with him.

"You watch it, Allen Walker! If I ever catch you out of place, you can be sure to spend the rest of your days in the Vatican dungeon!"

"Fine, whatever."

Allen shrugged. Shouldn't the Vatican realise the magic of the ark portal by now? Noahs could come and go as they wish. Seeing no point in wasting time on Rouvelier, he turned to leave. There was no time to fool around, he had to retrieve the ring back from Link.

Sniggering silently, Allen deliberately slowed down at points to let Rouvelier catch up with him from behind. Was that man that naive as to think he could tail an experienced exorcist without being noticed? Allen was glad to have learnt something useful from Link all these times while he tried to avoid his surveillance.

With special care, Rouvelier managed to arrive at an old inn without being noticed by the exorcist. Or so he believed. The Silver Dagger? Oh well, whatever the inn was called. He sneaked in and hid himself at a dark corner while observing the place.

It wasn't bad.

It was REALLY BAD!

He tried to put up with all the strange men around him. For the sake of Link, he must stay and make sure the young man had not fallen prey to these sinners! He must stop Link from falling from grace. These were the wrong sort indeed!

Rouvelier was certain he saw the exorcist entering this place. But Allen Walker was no where to be seen. Neither was Link. He waited patiently until he noticed he was in great danger. This was a peculiar place visited by merry men. And these men kissed and touched each other.

"Nice uniform!" A man approached Rouvelier with a smile, "you're here with someone? Or are you looking for-"

Rouvelier fled.

He ran all the way up the street and stopped next to a phone booth, trying to catch his breath. The Vatican official felt the crisis had just escalated in log scale. Link's 'wrong person' might suggest an indecent woman as well as... a man. Whether decent or indecent, man and man was diabolical! Link needed help and help was what Rouvelier shall offer him. But right now, he needed to locate the young man. Maybe it was all just a misunderstanding but he couldn't take this risk.

Rouvelier made a phone call.

"Komui Lee, this is Malcom Rouvelier!... Right, it's about Allen Walker... No,... Oh, really?... Anyway, I need you to contact him through his golem... No, that's none of your concern!... Get him to report to me right away... Yes, this is an order... No, there's no hurry but it's urgent... YES! Do it NOW!"

He hang up the phone violently. As expected, after a few minutes, a gloomy exorcist appeared before him.

"What do you want?"

"Think you can fool me? Take me to Link."

"What? Find him yourself!"

"No, I know you knew something, Allen Walker!" Rouvelier said, "Either you confess everything or I'll make another phone call!"

"Yeah, right, like that's going to frighten me! Komui will grant me another holiday once I return!"

To the exorcist's surprise, the Vatican official chuckled, "no Walker! I'll call his sister, your precious little wife!"

Seeing Allen's smirk vaporized, he added, "I wonder what she'll think if she finds out you're out roaming here, instead of going on mission at... oh, where was it you told her?"

Rouvelier scored, Allen felt threatened. Damn, Komui must have told Rouvelier over the phone unknowingly! Allen didn't mean to lie to Lenalee but he wanted to give her a surprise. If he had told Lenalee he was on leave, she would tag along with him. There would be no way he could buy the ring without her knowing. Rouvelier would ruin everything if he talked to Lenalee.

"Alright, alright!" Allen surrender. "I'm looking for Link too. But I'm not sure if he'll be at where I think he might be."

"Just take me there." Rouvelier decided not to ask why Allen was looking for Link. He would know when they found the inspector.

"Geez! I thought he was your little 'puppy'! Why did you let him loose in the first place?" Allen asked, feeling disturbed with Rouvelier following him around in this area. People might mistaken them. Oh no! He shouldn't even talk to Rouvelier!

"Precisely Link's my responsibility, I have to protect his innocent mind from the evils of this world!"

"Evils of this world?" Allen chuckled, recalling the image of a certain gentleman proposing to 'lady' Link with someone else's ring. The prank had been fun until now when he had to retrieve his ring without Link knowing it was actually his and not Tyki's. "He's a grown up! What're you going to do anyway?"

"It's no laughing matter, Walker. I will personally interrogate any suspicious people-"

"You mean 'torture'-"

"I can't risk letting Link's heart being hurt by strange people!"

Rouvelier realised he was being too loud. Other people were glancing over to them. Not wanting to be mistaken in the worst kind of way, Rouvelier spoke no more to Allen.

Allen regretted a bit now, taking Lavi's seemingly constructive advice of finding a girl for Link. Lavi claimed that this would get him away from surveillance. Well, things spun out of the original plan. Waaay out. Now, he felt somehow under Rouvelier's surveillance. With Rouvelier's involved, things would surely get out of hand. Well, he did feel a tad guilty if Link got into trouble because of his little prank.

Link wouldn't believe the Noah was really into him... erm, 'her', would he? Link should know that was Tyki Mikk. They had met and fought before in the old days when Noahs and exorcists were killing each other.

Anyway, Allen didn't believe Tyki would really care after he had won the bet. It was just a silly bet. Technically speaking, Tyki did not win the bet. Link was a man, not a woman. Although Link was dressed up as a fine lady, that still didn't count.

He sighed and prayed Tyki won't show up today. As long as he could get the ring back from Link, he could always put the ring in another pretty carton and give it to Lenalee. Tyki could keep the box. Just please don't show up looking for 'lady' Link.

-to be continued-


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Dgrayman characters, they belong to Katsura Hoshino. This is done solely for the sake of fan-girlism.

As always, feedbacks and comments are welcomed and appreciated. :3

**With This Ring**

by Sceaduw

_{Part III}_

Last night, he found courage that he didn't know he had. He proposed to a stranger and he didn't even know her name. That didn't matter, did it? Should it matter at all? It was just a game.

Then what's with this odd feeling bugging him? He couldn't believe her smile was still in his mind when the sun was up.

Tyki lit a cigarette at the breakfast table despite Sheril's protest.

It was supposed to be a simple bet between him and Allen Walker. The boy dared to challenge him that he couldn't get any random girl to fall for him. The stake was Allen's ring. He chose a random girl, wooed her and gave her the ring. She blushed and ran away with Allen's ring.

There, nothing more. End of the bet. He won and Allen lost. That was it.

It wasn't his fault that Allen lost his ring. He only suggested Allen to use the ring as the stake when the exorcist was so damn sure of winning. Well, it was the boy's arrogance that lost him the ring. What foolishness.

Of course, Allen wouldn't have complied if the boy had known he would be approaching the girl in his gentleman form. He didn't cheat, he was still Tyki Mikk, whether a hobo or a noble. He shouldn't feel guilty about giving away Allen's ring. The boy lost the ring to him, so he could do whatever he wanted with it anyway, right?

So what was this feeling suffocating him? He couldn't figure out why.

"Tyki, cigarettes aren't designed for breakfast."

Sheril took his eyes off his brother, shaking his head at the dozen of cigarette buds on the ashtray. He shouldn't even mention breakfast! It was almost noon. It took quite a while for Tyki to fully awaken from his hangover. Lucky for them that the children had already left for school, leaving the adults alone to some serious discussions. Yes, they needed to talk. Or rather, he needed to talk to Tyki. Sheril even called in sick so he could have a full day to sort out Tyki's 'problem'. The government would do just fine without the minister for one day.

"I'm thinking..."

"Yes?" Sheril was alerted but he tried to smile as usual. Was Tyki going to tell him what happened last night? He waited the whole morning for his brother's confession. He couldn't just start asking his brother direct questions like, 'were you rejected by a guy last night', could he?

Tyki caressed the little jewelry box in front of him as if it was a small pet. Sheril waited but Tyki was deep in thoughts.

"Well...?" Sheril tried to give him a little push. He watched as Tyki played with the box, flipping it open and then closing it again.

"That's a nice box," Sheril began bravely, "is it a gift... from someone?"

Tyki shook his head without looking up from the box.

"Oh, then it's a gift to someone?"

"Nope."

Sheril pretended to finish off the food in front of him. The food had long gone cold but he had to do something to feel less awkward. He took a sip from his cup of tea. He picked up his fork and stabbed a sausage several times on his plate. He waited but Tyki did not reveal anything.

"So where did you get it from then?" asked Sheril, unable to bear the suspense any longer.

"Allen Walker," Tyki replied and he returned the box back into his pocket. Then he heard a clang on the floor. "Hey, ... you just dropped your fork!"

Tyki watched in horror as Sheril froze in his seat. "What're you doing? You're freaking me out!" Tyki went over and picked up the fork for him. "Are you alright?"

Seizing the chance, Sheril dragged Tyki up by the arm and reached into his pocket, pulling out the box.

"This is a ring box! A RING BOX! Why would Allen Walker give you this?"

"Let go! Give it back! What the hell's wrong with you?" Tyki shouted and allowed his arm to pass right through Sheril's grasp. He reached out for the box in Sheril's hand but the older man was swift. Sheril darted backwards, clutching the empty box in his hand as if it was a piece of treasure itself.

Sheril flipped open the box and flashed the love message into Tyki's face.

"You tell me! Allen Walker gave you a ring? He's married!" And married to a vicious woman too, Sheril mentally remarked.

"No!" Tyki yelled and snatched the box from Sheril. "I said it's not a gift from anyone! I won it! From a bet with Allen Walker!"

"Oh... I see." Sheril felt confused.

Then why was Tyki so depressed last night? Waizurii said a man had the ring. Did Allen Walker has the ring?

"What were you thinking, Sheril?" Tyki pulled a long face, "that I was being proposed to... by that boy!"

"Well, no," Sheril said, "what makes you think that?" He tried to laugh it off but Tyki's expression told him he was not amused.

"Sheril, I thought you were that desperate to have me married to someone."

"No, my dear brother! I would never force you into any marriage again! I promised you, remember?"

"Of course I remember. I just hope YOU will remember your promise!" said Tyki. Come to think of it, he owed Lenalee Lee big time. If not for her, his brother would not have given up on finding a woman for him.

"So you won the box," Sheril tried to continue his investigation. His eyes darted over Tyki's fingers. "Just the box?"

"No, I had a ring too."

"... You HAD."

"Yes, it's an exquisite ring. Limited edition of Gabrielle & Draco."

"... And?"

"I gave it to-"

"A man?" Sheril blurted out before he could stop himself. He was so anxious that he felt his heart was racing to a Tarantella.

Tyki paused and threw his brother an ugly stare. He backed off a few steps.

"Sheril, why would I give a ring to a man?"

"Oh, I mean... a woman?" asked Sheril, surprised. Suddenly the air seemed lighter and the day brighter. He gave a serious thought to hanging Waizurii from the balcony and let the night creatures feed on the boy tonight. The brat lied to him! But he could forgive the boy because he was in a good mood.

"Yes, a gentle lady."

"Oh! Wonderful! Whose daughter is she of? Which family?"

Tyki backed off a few more steps urgently as his enthusiastic brother pressed up against him. He was intimidated by his brother's sparkling eyes. Eventually, he was trapped between his passionate brother and the unmoving wall.

"I-I don't know!"

"Oh, come on, Tyki! There's no need to be shy! Is it the Webers? Or the Julius? Oh, surely not the younger of the Stein twins, is it?"

"NO!" Tyki was close to screaming. His cigarette fell from his lips. He could feel his brother breathing onto him. Those were exactly the women he did not wish to see again in his life. Nor in his next life. Those women were shallow, boring and lifeless! They only liked his looks and his close relation with the wealthy Minister Sheril Kamelot. They didn't even understand who he truly was.

They were nothing like the lady he met last night.

The lady was wise and gentle. Somehow, she seemed to know him although they only spent a few hours together. They talked and had a few drinks. And then he proposed to her. Thinking back, that was his first time! And he did it!He believed he had won her heart too, seeing the way she blushed before fleeing the place. It was a shame really to end their relationship along with the bet. The bet was silly, but not her. She was genuine.

Tyki wanted to see her again. But there was only one problem. He did not know her name. He kept calling her 'lady' last night. Well, at that moment he didn't know he would be serious about getting to know her the next morning.

"Tell me, Tyki! I can help you win her back!"

"What do you mean? Win her back?"

"Yes! You were dumped, weren't you?"

"Ha?"

"You were so upset and drunk last night! Oh, Tyki! Let me help you!"

"Yeah, right. Just stay away from me, Sheril," said Tyki as he faded through the wall. "You 'helped' me into your bed, you sick bastard!" It was embarrassing enough for him to find himself waking up in his brother's bed. To add to the shame, he was naked.

"You were really smelly and was throwing up all over this morning! I had to clean you up! Don't you remember anything?" Sheril cried. Tyki came to him by himself last night! It was a huge misunderstanding! He had to go through all the ordeal of getting his brother cleaned up because he didn't want Tyki being touched by others.

If Tyki was not rejected, then what was he so upset about? He forgot to give the girl the box? He didn't get a goodbye kiss? What?

"STAY AWAY!" Tyki shouted from the other side of the wall.

Like hell he would. Sheril ran out after his brother from another door. Who would know the floor plan of his mansion better than himself? He was determined to find that woman! And when he did, he would make her Tyki's bride!

He couldn't help giggling at the thought of a sweet little niece who looked just like Road while he followed Tyki from a distance.

Tyki lit another cigarette as he strolled out of Sheril's mansion. He tried to ignore the goosebumps creeping up his back. He thought he should be safe now. His brother should be heading off to tend to his country now. It was almost noon. How could a country survive without such a great Minister for one afternoon?

"Would you be needing the carriage, my Lord?" asked a bald servant at the garden gateway. Tyki waved slightly. He tipped his top hat forward just enough to shield his eyes from sight as he walked past the man.

"My Lord, would you like to travel back by the carriage?"

Tyki walked on without turning back. Why would he want to come back? He didn't even want to be here in the first place! He couldn't remember how he ended up in Sheril's place. He was having a fun time with the woman and then... what happened?

He took a sharp turn after leaving the front gate.

"My Lord?"

Before the servant could catch up with his young master's shadow, Tyki had already switched his human disguises. Unable to see his Lordship anywhere, the servant stopped abruptly and looked around urgently. He wasn't sure if he should have the carriage ready for use and he needed a command from his masters. His shiny head reflected the sunlight as he moved around. He only found a low-class worker nearby.

"Scram! This road is private property!" The servant sneered at the hobo, waving his arms about as if he was going to hit him.

"Alright, alright, keep your hair on!" laughed the hobo, strolling off lazily.

After the menacing servant disappeared back inside, Tyki walked for not more than three steps before a huge portal door appeared before him. It was Road's personal door.

"Yo, Tyki!"

"Hey, Road! Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

The two glanced around, making sure Sheril was not anywhere nearby. The man wasn't but they still felt it wasn't safe to hang around there.

"Come on, let's go, Tyki!"

"Are you going to give me a lift?"

"Nothing's free, Tyki!"

Tyki grinned and Road pulled him through the portal door. Tyki thought Road could give him some constructive advice. Afterall, Road was a lady and she was much more reliable than Sheril.

What happened last night didn't matter now. Tyki just wanted to find the girl again.

... And then what?

"Tyki, where to?"

"Vatican Central."

"That's a long way away. By the way, how did you drop by last night?"

"I don't know, Road. You see, I met a girl last night," said Tyki, deliberately skipping the Allen Walker part, "and I presented her a ring."

"Oh, Tyki! You fell in love with 'her'?" Seeing their conversation took an amazing turn, Road forgave Tyki for not answering her question. She didn't expect they would be coming to this part of the tale so soon.

Tyki wouldn't have remembered how he arrived to the mansion anyway when he had been so drunk. It was good to have a Waizurii around when one needed to solve mysteries. And it was good to have a wicked Dream around when one needed to interrogate somebody. It wasn't blackmailing, Road promised to protect the psychic from Sheril in exchange for Tyki's little secret. It was an outstanding bargain actually.

"I don't know really, but I want to see her again." Tyki smiled as he showed Road the ring box. "I guess... I want to get to know her better."

"Ohhh, Tyki!" Road giggled, "you can't go find 'her' looking like that! Go switch to your noble version!" She gave the box back to Tyki. Yes, that was the box Waizurii had revealed to her through his Demon Eye. She wondered why Tyki didn't mention anything about the bet with Allen. She grinned slyly and cooed, "you should look your best if you want to win the 'lady's' heart!"

Tyki thought for a moment and then he frowned.

"What's the matter, Tyki?"

"No, it's just... I got her heart last night."

"Oh? That's wonderful! What's wrong then? What's the matter?"

"Road, I proposed to her last night but I was only fooling around then!" Tyki sighed, "I wasn't being serious and I didn't even ask her for her name! I didn't know I'll be attracted to her afterwards!"

"But I don't see what's the problem. Just go find 'her' and do what you want to do!" Road gave Tyki a reassuring but somewhat eerie smile.

"You don't understand," Tyki then paused.

"Try me," Road tilted her little head while waiting for her uncle to spill it out. But she already knew what was bothering him. Waizurii told her everything, any and every little details, he saw. The ring.

"I gave her a ring, supposed to be a token of my affection, but-"

"But?"

Tyki paused again. Road felt sorry for him when she saw his expression. Her ever so playful uncle looked unbelievably vulnerable. She took his hand and squeezed it gently.

"But it's not my ring. It was someone else's." Tyki whispered, "I really like that lady and I shouldn't have given it to her."

Everything became clearer to him now. He wasn't sorry for taking Allen's ring. He wouldn't be sorry if he had thrown it away. He still wouldn't be sorry if he gave it to Road or any other girls. He was sorry for giving it to that lady.

"I see, that's easy! Just take that ring back and give 'her' another one."

Tyki's eyes beamed at Road's suggestion. But how? What should he tell her that wouldn't break her heart? Or should he just steal it back? Tyki buried his face in his palms. He felt like a jerk.

"There, there...," Road smiled sweetly as she hugged onto Tyki, "I'm sure everything will turn out fine! Just go with the flow! Do take my advice, get out of your hobo look and the impression will be better."

"Road, she's not like those other women," said Tyki with fondness in his eyes. He could feel that lady did not mind whether he was rich or poor. He was sure she saw something else in him. That was what made him so fascinated with her.

"I know," Road grinned eerily again. "I'm sure 'she' is very different from the other women. No ordinary 'lady' would attract your eyes so much, Tyki!"

Upon the end of their conversation, Road opened the portal door again. The other side of the door already connected to an alley in the Vatican Central. The two Noahs felt the soft breeze coming through, bringing in a familiar scent of rich alcohol from the drunks, bloody sweat from the ruffians and seductive perfume from the whores.

"Hey, Tyki, can I have that ring when you get it back?"

"Oh? You want it?"

"... Yes. No free ride, remember?" Of course Road wanted it. That ring represented Allen's heart.

"Okay, consider it yours! Are you coming with me?" Tyki smirked.

"Tyki, I'm underage!" Road laughed, "Good luck!" She prayed Tyki could bring the 'lady' home and introduce 'her' to Sheril. Now, that would be awesome.

Tyki felt happier and more refreshed now. He leapt through the doorway with a grin as he changed into his gentleman outlook. He would go back to that tavern to find that lady. It was very likely that she lived and worked nearby too.

So this was how Allen Walker felt towards Lenalee Lee.

It was beautiful and enchanting to Tyki. Yet somehow, deep down inside, the Noah felt it hauntingly disturbing. Tyki began to catch a glimpse of this thing called 'love'. He summoned his new-found courage and ventured once again into the Dark Heaven.

-to be continued-


End file.
